100 Most Common SAT Words

English III/Garner

100 Most Common SAT words

1. abbreviate: shorten, abridge 2. abstinence: act of refraining from 3. adulation: high praise 4. adversity: misfortune 5. aesthetic: pertaining to beauty 6. amicable: agreeable 7. anachronistic: out-of-date 8. anecdote: short account of event 9. anonymous: nameless 10. antagonist: opponent 11. arid: extremely dry 12. assiduous: hard-working 13. asylum: sanctuary 14. benevolent: friendly, helpful 15. camaraderie: trust among friends 16. censure: to criticize harshly 17. circuitous: indirect, roundabout 18. clairvoyant: able to see the future 19. collaborate: to work together 20. compassion: sympathy, mercy 21. compromise: to settle differences 22. condescending: patronizing 23. conditional: provisional, contingent 24. conformist: follower of customs 25. congregation: crowd of people 26. convergence: joining of parts 27. deleterious: harmful 28. demagogue: rabble-rousing leader 29. digression: straying from main point 30. diligent: hard-working 31. discredit: dishonor, disgrace 32. disdain: to regard with scorn 33. divergent: variant, moving apart 34. empathy: sharing of feelings 35. emulate: follow an example 36. enervating: tiring, weakening 37. enhance: improve, augment 38. ephemeral: momentary, fleeting 39. evanescent: short-lived, as an image 40. exasperation: irritation, frustration 41. exemplary: outstanding 42. extenuating: guilt diminishing 43. florid: flushed, ornate 44. fortuitous: lucky 45. frugal: thrifty 46. hackneyed: overused, cliched 47. haughty: arrogant, condescending 48. hedonist: pleasure seeker 49. hypothesis: theory requiring proof 50. impetuous: rash, impulsive 51. impute: to attribute to someone 52. incompatible: unable to work together 53. inconsequential: trivial 54. inevitable: unavoidable, certain 55. integrity: honesty, decency 56. intrepid: fearless, adventurous 57. intuitive: instinctive, untaught 58. jubilation: joy, exultation 59. lobbyist: persuader of legislators 60. longevity: long life 61. mundane: ordinary, common 62. nonchalant: calm, casual 63. novice: beginner 64. opulent: wealthy 65. orator: speaker 66. ostentatious: displaying wealth 67. parched: dried up 68. perfidious: disloyal 69. precocious: talented beyond one's age 70. pretentious: pompous, self-important 71. procrastinate: to delay unnecessarily 72. prosaic: run-of-the-mill 73. prosperity: wealth, success 74. provocative: inflammatory 75. prudent: wise, careful, cautious 76. querulous: irritable

77. rancorous: hateful 78. reclusive: withdrawn, hermit-like 79. reconciliation: agreement after a quarrel 80. renovation: state of being renewed 81. resilient: quick to recover 82. restrained: controlled, restricted 83. reverence: profound respect 84. sagacity: wisdom 85. scrutinize: to observe carefully 86. spontaneity: impulsive action 87. spurious: phony, false 88. submissive: meek 89. substantiate: to verify, confirm 90. subtle: elusive, sly, ambiguous 91. superficial: lacking in depth 92. superfluous: more than enough 93. suppress: to end an activity 94. surreptitious: secret, stealthy 95. tactful: diplomatic, polite 96. tenacious: persistent, resolute 97. transient: temporary, fleeting 98. venerable: respectable due to age 99. vindicate: to clear from blame 100. wary: watchful, alert